Herald to the King
by Syncronis
Summary: Night Mare Moon was not the greatest evil to have befallen Equestria; In the days before her, there was the King of Equestria, and with Night Mare Moon's second defeat brings his eventual return. Will Twilight and friends have the strength to prevail?
1. The Storybook Opening

Yes, I have returned, from the land of the damned.

It's been FAR too long since I've written ANYthing. It's a damn shame, actually. But here I am and here this is. Cultivating in my brain for weeks and with the help of my friends-in-arms, this story has evolved from a silly idea into something I think is both extraordinary and unmatched. Whether it truly is or not is to be decided, but I'll do my best to make everypony happy.

So, without further adu, here is…

**Herald to the King**

By Syncro Armani

Opening Act: -From A Storybook That Doesn't Exist-

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><p><em>Long ago, in the land of Equestria, before even the existence of the Cutie Mark…<em>

_Equestria was ruled by a king. An unknown king of great strength and cruelty; his reign was indeed a prosperous one, although some would disagree on the nature of his actions. His daughters, Celestia and Luna, took note of his rising cruelty as the years went on and though it pained them greatly, rose to stand up against their own father and usurp power from him._

_But the king was no pony's fool, knowing of the darkness that was dwelling deep within his youngest daughter's heart. So when Night Mare Moon rose to fight her own sister, he saw the way paved for his return: a great prophesy that would not only spell the return of the king, but an army so loyal and powerful, they willingly sacrificed themselves so that they would march in the name of their king's return._

_And so began a terrible prophecy that would spell the end of peace for Equestria, yet sadly only known to a scarce few: That with the second coming of Night Mare Moon and her defeat by the avatars of the Elements of Harmony would bring about the awakening of the Herald, whom in turn will bring about the return of the King and summon forth his Army of the Damned._

_But fate is a tricky bitch, and rarely does everything go as planned._

_Thus, with the second defeat of Night Mare Moon, does our story begin… _

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><p>Mood Music:<p>

Storybook Opening: 02-Story Organ- from Super Mario World 2 (Yoshi's Island)


	2. Chapter 0: Awakening

**Herald to the King**

By Syncro Armani

Chapter 0: -Awakening-

The Herald gave a moan as he roused from what seemed to be a deep sleep, mind groggy and body shuddering with the pains of muscles stretching. Awakening on the floor was not something he was expecting, having remembered going to sleep upon a soft bed last before rising in this… what could he call this place, he wondered? There were no walls, simply an empty black void that threatened to consume everything, perhaps the platform he stood on the only thing keeping him safe from the darkness.

The platform… it was a marvel in itself, a wonder that he could even sleep on such a thing, the intense light and colors emitting from the stained glass breathtaking in its design. From his perspective, it appeared to be of a man and what seemed to be a small horse crossing paths with their arms (and front hooves) outstretched, determination painted upon their faces. The little horse, no… the pony, appeared to be the color of rich silver, its mane short and unkempt. The man, though… the man didn't seem to have any sort of appearance… but that simply made no sense, he was looking straight at it. But he simply could not place the man's attributes; he was a man, but there was no skin color, facial markings or even clothing. It was as if staring through a ghostly shell.

Even looking at himself, it was as if something inside of was blocking out his own appearance, it was a desperate struggle to even make out the outlining of his bare hands. What insanity was this… why could he not see himself? The Herald's breath hitched in his throat as he realized: He could not even REMEMBER how he looked to start with. His mind raced as he tried desperately to retain any form of memory at all; but it all slipped through his fingers, like the finest grains of sand, nothing he brought to mind would stay for longer than a few seconds. Only one thing seemed to stay with the Herald.

Jack.

Jack Knife.

Jacknife.

Yes, his name was Jacknife. He clung to the memory like a mother would her newborn, rising to his feet and looking around for any signs of life.

"_You have Awakened."_

Jack's head jerked upward, struggling to see just from where the voice was coming from. He struggled to find his own voice, to ask the nonexistent one just where he was, what was going on.

"_I see that a thousand years in the Other World has left you groggy and weak. It is no matter, for it is here that you will forget those pathetic short-lived moments of your Other Selves, and be reborn as my right hand once again."_

Was that why he could not remember, could not even see himself? This was madness, what right did this voice have, to take what he might have treasured! But even trembling in regret and hatred, he still could not voice his contempt. Had the mysterious voice taken even that from him as well?

"_Now, it is time to begin the next part of your Awakening; it is time that you remember just what you are truly capable of."_

There was not even enough time to ponder the meaning behind the statement before the world beneath Jack's feet shattered, sending the poor boy downwards in a silent scream. The multicolored shards of the platform dancing around him, he struggled to regain himself, swinging around his hooves in a desperate attempt to right himself in mid-air.

Wait… hooves… were-were they always there? He seemed to recall having-having SOMETHING else? But that was silly, ponies had hooves, they always had and always would. Jack dashed the thought from his mind as he saw that another platform quickly coming into view, the wild tumbling descent sending his heart into near-cardiac arrest, Jack's limbs swinging madly as he desperately tried to swim in the empty existence.

His fears were soon quelled as whatever force that was catapulting him throughout this world slowed his descent, allowing him a quick breath of relief and giving him the chance to examine the platform he was closing in on. The stained glass this time showed a beautiful white alicorn, eyes closed and head bowed down in silent prayer, rainbow-colored mane flowing elegantly behind her. As his hooves touched the platform, he realized in a flash that while the stain glass was easy to decipher in mid-air, the pure while light of the platform was incredibly blinding at such close-ranges.

"_In order to prepare you for the trials ahead, you must be ready to face the dangers that will lie ahead."_

'_**THAT** didn't sound good._' The voice's monotone quickly snapped Jacknife back to his senses as his head darted back and forth, wondering just what the mysterious being was going to do this time. It wasn't until he looked behind him that Jacknife saw that the light of the platform was causing his shadow to grow to an unnatural size. It was nothing unusual… at least, until the shadow itself started to rise up from the floor.

The silver colt backed away from the creature as it shook its mane, the shadow pony not having any distinguishable features other than Jacknife's short mane, glowing yellow eyes locked onto the silent challenger.

"_Do you recall the moves you used when you fought at my side, all those years ago? Show them to me now, if you wish to survive."_

Jacknife honestly had no clue what the voice was talking about, but as the shadow pony began to charge at him, he couldn't help but fall into a sense of 'flow', jumping to the side of the pony's wild charge and taking small steps away, standing at the ready as the shadow pony began to pace around him.

"_You remember, that is good, but a good warrior cannot evade forever. As a unicorn, your horn blesses you with the magic of the world, to be used at your disposal. Show me the power you command, Awakened One."_

'_Magic… I have magic, too?'_ Jack pondered the words as the shadow pony readied itself for another charge, rapping at the glass to signal its oncoming assault. _'Okay… let's try it out… something defensive, something to stop that thing from coming, come ON!'_ He braced himself and closed his eyes, putting everything he could into summoning something to defend himself from the dark colt, the horn on his head beginning to glow in response to his wishes.

Despite the obvious, the shadow did not seem to consider hesitating, charging forward as if defeat was impossible, or meaningless. But just as the shadow's charge looked absolute, the nameless spell Jack was charging reached completion, a siege of flames surrounding him and tossing the black colt backwards. Jack's eyes opened in amazement as he stared dumbfounded at the fact that HE had done such a thing, the shadow trotting in what appeared to be pain as it tried to shake off the flames that were trying to eat away at it.

"_A good start, for now, I suppose. But there are times where your magic will be beyond your grasp. Can you fight on with your own strength in its place?"_

Jack seemed to understand what the voice was asking him to do, galloping up to the distracted enemy and with a quick turn, reared back and gave a mighty buck to the creature's face. The colt, having not paid Jack any mind at all, was sent flying back and into the air from the strike. The second it touched ground, it exploded into a flurry of black goo, traveling about the platform back towards Jack.

"_You did well to start, but know that you'll never be free of the darkness in your heart. It will ALWAYS be with you, and you in turn must be ready to face it."_

The words put the fear back into Jack as the darkness began to consume him, his struggles becoming meaningless as the shadows seemed to be never-ending. Even worse, they seemed to be dragging him UNDER, pulling him through the platform and into whatever possible hell they may have originated from.

"_Darkness is NEVER stagnant, it is always growing in strength and size and you must also grow as well, lest you succumb and be consumed by your own weaknesses."_

Once again, his screams were nonexistent as the darkness dragged him below, the murky feel of molasses sending him into a wild struggle as he tried not to breath or swallow any of the void that surrounded him. Thankfully, his fate seemed to be temporary, as he quickly realized that he was no longer sinking; he had been transported onto another platform.

This one was softer on the eyes, being made of several shades of violet, holding the image of a smaller alicorn filly on it. She was looking up towards the sky as opposed to the previous mare's image, her eyes filled with sadness, perhaps regret for something. The image was rather saddening, Jack being drawn to try and read the eyes of the stain-glass pony, the need to wonder why someone so beautiful would have such sad eyes.

"_That mare is a prime example of why you must be strong against the darkness. She all too-easily gave into the darkness of her own heart, letting her jealousy and hatred consume her and transform her into a being whose sole purpose was to bring night eternal."_

Darkness began to seep from the platform, sending Jacknife on edge, the stench of what could only be described as pure hatred filling his senses. All too quickly, the darkness began to increase in volume, what started as mere vapors had now become vicious steam clouds of rage and sorrow. Jack looked up in awe; just how much hatred could one mare possess to give off such extreme amounts of evil?

"_Behold, the power of darkness, given equine-esence… Gaze upon the form of Night Mare Moon!"_

The darkness that had seeped from the platform had congregated into the air above, forming a bubble of black-and purple that gave Jacknife the sensation of bugs crawling about his body. It didn't take long for the orb to gain in size, coming down to rest on the platform and dispersing to reveal a full-sized equine in what appeared to be full armor and a flowing mane… had the creature not have been what could only be described as a 'mare shadow' of its former self.

"_Or her shadow, at the very least… Twice now, has she risen up to take reign from her sister and twice now has she lost to the power of the Elements of Harmony. Driven from her host, Night Mare Moon is now but a shadow of her former self, but a threat ne'er the less."_

The Shadow Mare gave a neigh of rage, causing the platform to tremble from her unseen power and setting Jacknife's nerves on edge. The voice was dead-on in its accusation: This 'shadow' was far greater in strength than the one that came from his own body; if he wasn't careful, he was sure to lose his life to it.

"_This is your chance to take her power for your own, my right hoof, my Herald. Defeat this shadow of a mare and show me now, that you can indeed handle her power and hatred as you did back then!"_

'_Oh, bloody hay.'_ Jack groaned to himself as the Shadow Mare began its assault, sending orbs of darkness out from its horn and towards the smaller pony. With no other choice, he was forced to run for his life, dashing around the platform as the black orbs crashed down into the glass and narrowly missing him each time. With the final orb's fall, Shadow Mare brayed, calling forth flames to rise from the glass floor towards Jack in an attempt to cook him alive.

A leap of faith to the side proved beneficial, the flames missing him by a good hoof and dispersing just as quickly as they had rose. Knowing that he could not dodge this deadly mare's attacks for much longer, he decided to go on the offensive, forgoing any hopes of landing a physical attack on the shadow and sticking with magic for the moment.

Focusing his power, he called forth a spell of ice from his horn, blasting Shadow Mare with chunks of ice the size of his hoof. The frost spell landed true, giving the shadow's face a cold shower and causing the creature to bray in pain. For all the power the shadow had, Jacknife realized, it was still a weakened version of its true self. He fired a second volley of ice, persistant in the possibility that he could actually win, but the Shadow Mare was not as lenient as Jack's shadow was, giving off a burst of dark energy that threw him off his hooves.

He shook his head to regain his senses and quickly noticed that the glass beneath him was shaking. It didn't take a genius to realize that Shadow Mare was charging at him, with the possible hope of running him through with her much larger horn. Another ice spell was out of the question, but an idea quickly sprung to mind and with a touch of concentration, brought up the Fire Shield spell he had used earlier. Shadow Mare was unable to stop its charge in time, running right into the snaking flames and braying in agony. It took a step back from its target, desperately trying to put out the flames that were consuming its mane with wild abandon.

'_This is it… It's now or never!'_ The thought consumed him and with the surge of adrenelene he gained from it, rose quickly to his feet and gave the creature a mighty headbutt. The attack came as something of a shock to the Shadow Mare, its glowing eyes dimming in shock as it stumbled backwards, dazed by the brazenness of the pony. The fact that the fire that was still upon the Shadow and yet did nothing to harm Jack should have made him think twice, but the pony was now being fueled by his own rage and a rising thirst for combat, as he quickly turned about face and gave his opponent a mighty buck.

His strength in that kick could not have been his own, as the Shadow was sent skyward from the attack, flames trailing behind it and dancing in the darkness. Hoping to finish the fight once-and-for all, Jack reared his head back and found his voice with his final attack, calling forth a lightning bolt to descent from on-high and strike down the Shadow Mare. The screech that it let forth was near-deafening, exploding from the electricity and spilling down blobs of darkness about the glass surface.

The adrenelene surge was quick to escape him, falling on his side and gulping in air in an attempt to calm the blood flowing through him. His consciousness was beginning to fade at long last and though the globs of darkness were quickly beginning to close in on him, he was unable to do anything except breath and pray that he would still be alive when next he woke.

"_You have done well, my Herald. But you still have much to learn, farther to travel before you are truly able to carry out my wishes…"_

He wished the voice would stop taunting him, would leave him alone and let him rest in peace, would make the darkness go away…

"_Travel the world with the Night Mare's gifts… and when you are ready, your purpose will finally become clear to you."_

The inky void had nearly consumed him now, the only visible trace being around his eyes.

"_But do not fear, my right hoof… I will always be with you… Always."_

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><p>The sun was what woke him first, glorious beams of heaven piercing the sleep in his eyes. If it weren't for the fact he always hated sleeping, Jacknife would have turned over on his bed of grass and returned to rest. The music of the songbirds were what dashed those hopes of laying in bed for the morning, their sonata of the morn giving him reason to groan and rise up from the comfortable blades of green.<p>

"Best to get moving, anyway…" He sighed, bending down to eat at his makeshift bed. If Jack was one thing, it was economic, using everything at his disposal to get the job done. "I'd rather not go back to that crazy dream, anyway." He shook his head, letting the remnants of the night escape him. Dreams like that were quite common to him, different in many ways each time he slept, but that one… That one was the craziest of them all.

Jack swallowed the last of his breakfast and looked out into the forest, taking in its sweet perfume and letting off a breath of contentment. Even in the early morning, he did love the smell of nature in its purest form. 'Pure Forests' were like that, patches of land and trees that existed beyond the limits of Equestria, as if they were a part of a whole other world in themselves. A handful of them existed throughout the land of Equestria, who knows how many throughout the world.

But Jack loved them, seeking refuge in them for the nights, savoring the feel of freedom they held for as long as possible.

He took a look back at himself, past his travel parsels and at his blank flank. Nodding to himself, he took on a look of determination and set off towards the west, away from the rising sun.

"Well then… Time to seek out my destiny!"

**END CHAPTER 0: -Awakening-**

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><p>Author's Notes:<p>

This chapter was hard, openings always are, but I must admit that it was rather fun as well. The chapter definitely has a Kingdom Hearts feel to it, no surprise as the music to inspire it was from the second in the series, and I think that it fits the bill more than it should. I feel that I probably should have extended the battle between Shadow/Night Mare Moon and Jacknife further, but for an opening boss battle, I think that's a good start as well. One of my problems I've come to realize is that I like to obsess over making things like that as big as possible, so playing it down a bit is more than a challenge in itself. Magic will definitely be a chore to do, as there are so many different variants and styles to choose from. I'm not exactly going to settle on a one, but I WILL say that it will be quite the treat to see. Here's to hoping that it shows in the next chapter.

Mood Music:

In The World of Beyond: Dive Into the Heart –Destati- from Kingdom Hearts 2

To Fight Oneself: Fragments of Sorrow from Kingdom Hearts 2

To Fight The Shadow Of Evil: Tension Rising from Kingdom Hearts 2


	3. Chapter 1 Act 1: In My Opinion

**Herald to the King**

By Syncro Armani

Chapter 1; Act 1: In My Opinion… [Opening]

Early morning for Twilight Sparkle was always something to look forward to, the beams of sunlight that pierced the veil of her bedroom curtains acting as a better wake-up call than any mere alarm clock could. Twilight stretched her mare's frame into the cushions of the mattress, letting a soft moan escape her maw as she fed energy into her relaxed muscles. She slid out of bed easily, her unicorn magic lifting the old blanket easily and stretched it outward, placing it down neatly and tucking it in to keep the stars and moons taut and without faults.

Walking past Spike's basket, she decided to let the baby dragon have a few extra moments of REM sleep, giving the wicker a gentle nudge to at least prepare him for what was to come.

"Nngh… We have to… the roof, Rarity. Hurry… tuh th-tuh choppa'…" The nudge did little to stop his snoring, merely jarring him enough to let a small snippet of his dream spill out before falling back into heavy snoring. Twilight merely shook her head in amusement, not even bothering to wonder what he could possibly be dreaming about THIS time, taking to the stairs and to the kitchen.

It didn't take long for the smells of breakfast to fill the tree house, plates of freshly browned hay and pruned rose stems with steamed buttercup petals decorating both sides of the kitchen table along with a steaming pot of chamomile tea to wash the meal down. Taking in a deep breath of her hard work, she decided to wake up Spike so they could eat before the most important meal of the day cooled down. She climbed up the stairs, giggling to herself at seeing him hanging half-way out of his basket, wishing she had a camera to take a picture for later.

Clearing her throat, she gave the basket a light kick as she called out to the purple lizard. "C'mon Spike, time to rise and shine!" His reaction to the wake-up call was less than elegant as Twilight's awakening, springing upwards in shock.

"NO, Solid Bloom, don't do it!"

Twilight stepped back at the outburst, face contorted in a mixture of surprise and amusement. "Easy there, Spike, it was just a dream… But who is 'Solid Bloom'?" Her eyebrow was raised in curiosity as Spike's face turned from confusion to shock as he quickly turned away from her, rubbing the back of his head in what she figured to be embarrassment.

"Solid –what-now? I've no idea what you're talking about, Twilight… You were probably just hearing – Is that breakfast I smell?" He quickly jabbered as he dashed out of bed, not even waiting to see if his half-baked excuse passed her lie detector. She merely shook her mane and sighed as she trotted after him, content on merely avoiding any dragon-fire accidents like some of the other times she'd woken him during his dreams.

"So what's the plan for today, Twilight" Spike spoke slowly, trying his best to avoid letting any of the browned hay escape his mouth. "Are we going to take the day off?" Twilight's eyes rolled as she sipped the rest of her tea.

"Come now, Spike… The pursuit of science and magic doesn't allow for too much 'goofing off.' She punctuated the last two words with her hooves, receiving a groan from her daytime assistant. "Besides, didn't we already have a day off? I distinctly remember having one…"

"Yeah, we took one, all right. Six months ago, on the Summer Solstice Festival, remember?"

Spike's words struck a chord in her memory, it really HAD been half-a-year since their last real 'day off'; a year and a half since she and Spike had come to Ponyville and defeated Night Mare Moon. Thankfully, this year's festival wasn't as eventful as the last one had been, though it was certainly quite a treat to have both sisters at the festival this year.

"Well… how about this then?" she began, magicking their now-empty plates into the sink. "I'm going into town for a little while to grab some supplies. Why don't you clean up while I'm gone and we'll see what we can do about spending a day relaxing, hm?"

That did the trick, sending the dragon running off to finish his daily rituals and lighting a smile on her own face. Donning her satchel packs, she headed out into the streets of Ponyville and into its town square, taking in the fact that there weren't very many ponies in the streets as well at such an early hour. Strangely enough, the sky was perfectly cloudless, but Applejack's apple stand wasn't in its usual spot in the square. Definitely a twisted start for the morning, Twilight wondering whether each pony had decided to switch personas for the day.

She chuckled to herself at the thought before deciding on grabbing an extra muffin from the Sugarcube Corner, her smile growing to incorporate her confusion as she saw both Rainbow Dash and Rarity talking with Pinkie Pie at the back counter. "Well, this is something new." The announcement was more to herself than her friends as she took a place beside her rainbow-haired friend. "Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and… Rainbow Dash. This is a surprise; you're usually not up this early. What's the occasion?"

The multi-colored mare's body showed her being anxious if nothing else, her sky-blue wings flexing every few seconds as she bounced in place, eyes somewhat focused in a sense of maddened glee. It was more than obvious that she was running more on stimulants instead of adrenaline. "Haven't slept all Twilight, I'm totally running off of these crazy-new muffins Pinkie Pie made this morning, they're totally givin' me that extra zip-bing-POW that I'm needin'!" She punctuated the statement with a shake of her torso, her wings threatening to spread full inside the bakery, primaries expanding in order to make for a better take-off.

"Yes, Rainbow Dash, I… can see that." The unicorn trailed off as she took note of the plate of half-eaten muffins beside of the hyperactive pegasus, raising an eyebrow at the oddity of them being lime-green and pink. "… and while I find it odd, the idea of you pulling all-nighters and keeping awake with -"

"Mint-Berry Crunch!" Pinkie Pie's voice interrupted anything Twilight would have said about the strange set of treats, gaining the mare's attention and confusion. The Party Pony merely smiled and bounced in place as Twilight's confusion turned critical.

"Err, right… Mint-Berry Crunch muffins, but I still don't understand just WHY you're staying awake for."

It was then that the previously silent Rarity took the opportunity to chime in. "Why, you really haven't heard, Twilight Sparkle? Well…" She looked to both sides, as if she were about to reveal a dark secret, tilting her head to beckon the purple pony even closer into their circle. "A few days ago, I was told by the delivery mare who delivers my fabrics that she happened to pass by… a celebri-pony; on his way HERE, no less!" The white unicorn trotted in place, excitement giving her an extra spark of energy as well, not taking note of the look on Twilight's face until she cleared her throat. "Oh! Yes, I didn't really say just WHOM it was yet, did I? No matter, I'll tell you now! It's…"

"It's Jacknife, the traveling pony!" Rainbow Dash interrupted, her wings flapping and sending a plume of air throughout the bake shop, unable to contain her excitement any longer. "Whoops… heheh, sorry 'bout that, Rarity." She lowered her head in embarrassment, the feint sounds of laughter escaping her lips as the fashionista tried to glare a hole into her friend, her beautiful mane blown out by the burst of air.

"Okay… and?" the statement caused both ponies to bring their attention back to Twilight, surprise adorning both their faces.

"Twilight dear, you mean you've never heard of the Wandering Pony before?" Rarity didn't even bother to wait for a response, clicking her tongue at the magister and shaking her head in pity. "Really my dear, one of these days I'm going to have to pry you out of that stuffy library and take you out to one of my 'socialite' spa treatments." Twilight began to raise her hoof in protest before she was stopped by Rarity's own. "Nono, I won't accept no for an answer, Twilight Sparkle. Besides, you'd be surprised what you can learn from a group of talkative mares." She laughed at the thought and Twilight merely sighed in response.

"Oooo, I can't wait, I can't wait!" Pinkie Pie had apparently come across the countertop during the earlier discussion, bouncing around Rainbow Dash and tittering about in her usual manner. "They say that he's a pony that's been all around the world, even beyond Equestria! I can't wait to meet him, I'll bet he's been to a Neighpon and Italhoof and Braztallion and I SO WANT TO HAVE A BRAZTAILLION PARTY!" She took the rainbow mare's hoof and began to dance, leading her into what appeared to be a very sloppy tango. "Braztaillion parties are the best in the world; they last for days and you never really remember what you exactly DID in them but the nights OH A NIGHTTIME BRAZTAILLION PARTY WOULD BE SO MUCH FUN!" She released Rainbow Dash and began to hop in place once again, the azure pony wobbling from confusion and slight sleep deprivation.

"I still don't think I'm getting the whole picture here, Pinkie Pie…" Twilight murmured at the display before her.

"He's a blank-flank, honey." The statement was blunt in force and yet, the way she uttered it, Twilight thought could swear that Rarity was stating it like it was a common fact. "Oh, don't look at me like that, darling, I'm not being biased, I am merely stating the reason for his adventuring." She bowed her head, shaking it in pity. "Everyone who has met him says the same thing; the poor thing has no Cutie Mark at all, been traveling the world trying to find what makes him special and he STILL doesn't have one…" She pulled her head back, bringing a hoof under her horn in drama. "Can you imagine that… traveling the world and seeing its splendor, yet never finding that special something? The poor dear, I wonder what kind of a pony he would be, what sort of personality he would adopt to deal with such a travesty?"

"I'll tell you what he's like!" Rainbow Dash had apparently shaken off her momentary stupor, rising on her hind legs and letting herself become lost in excitement. "He's got to be wicked awesome, a total bad-colt! I heard they made him an honorary Wonder Bolt, can you believe that; a wingless pony, a Wonder Bolt! How awesome do you have to be to get to join the best flight team in Equestria when you can't even fly!" A maniacal grin spread across her face as her eyes glazed over in fantasy.

"I can see just what would happen if we met…"

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><p>At about the same time, a cloaked pony trotted into town, head turning slightly to each side to take in the sights and note the shops he passed. Stopping at the fountain in the middle of the town, he took in a deep breath and sighed, the bulges on his sides rising up and showing that he was carrying large satchel-packs on his sides. Stopping a random blue passerby, the two began to engage in small conversation before the blue mare pointed to his right, giving the hooded pony a smile and a nod before trotting off on her way.<p>

Looking towards the indicated direction, he let a small grin escape from his maw as he trotted towards Ponyville's library, an extra spring in his step as he slowly drew closer.

**END CHAPTER 1; Act 1: In My Opinion… [Opening]**

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><p><span>Author's Notes<span>_: Wow, this actually got crazy-long, believe it or not. And so, rather than murder you with text, I thought it a better idea to split the first chapter up into acts and make it easier on the eyes. No soundtrack for this just yet, although I do like __'Strange Whispers'__ from the first Kingdom Hearts soundtrack for the last part of the act. Perhaps later I'll come back and give this act the proper soundtrack it needs, but for right now, I think this is alright. I honestly think I should expand on the opening scene at the tree-home more, but there's that lesson on overkill I'm trying to beat into myself. Oh well. The next act is almost done and I'm curious to hear about what my readers will think it will be. I've put a lot of work into it and I hope you'll enjoy it, so just keep your eyes peeled, ja?_


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